Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse

Our final mouse is a descendent of the G5 that we looked at in our last round-up, Logitech's G500 Gaming Mouse. The general shape and ergonomics haven't changed much from its predecessor. If you have a good thing, why change it?

The upper surface of the mouse features a hard plastic with a splatter pattern design. The left and right sides have a very grippy surface that is somewhat similar to sandpaper in texture. On the bottom of the mouse are two large and one small Teflon feet, a weight system slot and the centrally-located tracking laser. A braided USB cable makes the connection between the mouse and your computer.

Buttons include left and right mouse click, clickable scroll wheel that also tilts left and right, a hyper-fast scroll engage / disengage button like we saw on the Performance MX, and two thumb buttons with a third button centered below the two. There are also two DPI adjustment buttons in the same location as the ones found on the Razer Mamba.

The G500 uses the trademark Logitech SetPoint software, although the layout is a bit different than what we saw with the Performance MX. Basically all of the same features and options are available with the addition of profiles and macros. Profiles are stored in the mouse's onboard memory so you can take them with you to other computers. You can also store up to five custom DPI settings that can be used away from your computer.

While gaming and during general Windows use, the G500 scored near the top in every category in this round up. The ergonomics of the mouse are spot-on and result in a very natural and comfortable experience. Tracking was superb, and for those that love high-DPI mice the ability to operate at up to 5700 DPI will certainly be appreciated. Whether or not anyone actually needs a mouse with 5700 DPI is another story altogether.

The sandpaper-ish side grips on the G500 are a bit different than the smooth rubber I am used to, but it didn't take long to get accustomed to. The weight system works very well allowing you to add just the of heaviness to the mouse to meet your preference. The mouse slides around with ease on my mouse pad and isn't overly loud when doing so.

The G500 uses the same manual hyper-fast scrolling mechanism as the Performance MX, which is a nice feature but not as nice as the automatic function bundled with the older MX Revolution. The buttons on the G500 are good but certainly not perfect. The scroll wheel button, for example, while relatively easy to depress, it's hard to do so without either tilting left or right. I ended up not mapping this button to any function for this reason.

Also, the left thumb buttons could use some work. With the three buttons clustered together, it can be difficult to press the right one as there isn't much difference in the tactical feel of the middle button between the two outer ones. Despite these shortcomings, the G500 is a great mouse with a good price point, currently selling for $56.99 on Newegg.com.

Pros:

Up to 5700 DPI

Comfortable and natural feel

Hyper-fast scrolling

Braided cable

Weight system

Price

Cons:

Side buttons could use some work

Clickable scroll wheel difficult to depress without accidentally tilting left or right